


Stuck Inside

by Emme2589



Series: Very Gay "Randall Lives" AU [6]
Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emme2589/pseuds/Emme2589
Summary: It's not safe outside, but Randall hates feeling trapped. Sort of epilogue toWhat We Lost in Asylum.
Relationships: Randall Ascot/Hershel Layton
Series: Very Gay "Randall Lives" AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1307387
Kudos: 12





	Stuck Inside

Randall described it as mental torture, and honestly, Hershel didn't blame him.

It was every day like clockwork. Desmond would wait in the dormitory common room for both of them, give them an update on the situation, and then before he left, he always said the same thing;

_"Don't leave the school."_

They tried to cope with it, because they understood the danger, but Randall was going a little stir crazy waiting for the green light that might never come. Staying within the confines of a school campus was one thing. Knowing that you might lose everything by leaving was another thing altogether. Hershel didn't like it either, but at least he was comfortable seeing familiar places all the time. Randall, on the other hand, felt that he was utterly trapped.

Their classes had been on hold while Desmond tried to secure their safety, so when Hershel left his dorm room, he made a quick stop at the common room to make a cup of tea before heading straight for a side office near the library. It wasn't really an office, more like an unusually tidy closet, but it was a good hiding place until things had calmed down. Randall was already there, and his eyes were glossing over a book he wasn't actually reading beside a full mug of tea that had long since gone cold.

Hershel set his tea on the desk, forgetting for the moment that Desmond hadn't given them their update that day, "Randall?"

Randall glanced up at him, his eyes quickly returning to the pages, "Hey, Hersh."

Hershel pulled up a chair to sit beside him, "What are you doing?"

Randall's knee was bouncing with his restlessness, "Reading."

Hershel gripped the top of the book's spine to gently pull it away and snap it shut, "You can't fool me. What are you _really_ doing?"

Randall hung his head, his hair tight in his fists, "What do you think, Hershel? I'm trying to distract myself."

Hershel hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder.

He couldn't help but feel...guilty somehow. As bad as the situation was, Hershel was somewhat relieved that he had a lot of quiet time to himself, as he had his own trauma he was working through and the confined space was good for that, but Randall was clearly feeling suffocated in the same situation.

Hershel had been focusing all his internal energy trying to forget how everything came crashing down. Just thinking about it again was making his skin crawl. He didn't want to forget everything of course, but the sounds and screams in his head that often woke him up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat? He would gladly erase that from his memory if he could.

"Randall..." Hershel waited until Randall looked up at him, "I'm sorry."

"Don't, Hersh." Randall snapped, "Don't do that. Don't say that you're sorry. I know you don't hate this as much as I do. I know you only feel suffocated by the Shell Shock and not the space, but please don't pity me. It only makes me feel worse."

Hershel let go, resting his hands on the desk. Randall let his head fall into his arms, trying not to cry, and failing.

"I don't mean to pity you." Hershel's voice wavered, "But seeing you like this is agonizing. Is it so wrong for me to have a little empathy?"

Randall sniffed, lifting his head enough to wipe his eyes, "No. I didn't mean it like that."

The silence was only broken by the clunky printer in the library, and the pattering of soft rainfall on the windows.

Randall looked up at Hershel again, meeting his gaze, "Is it really agonizing?"

"I mean, yes." Hershel wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "You're like a bird in a cage here. You're the one who would walk increasingly long hours just to see something new. Nothing can tie you down, and so trying to force you to stay here must be awful. I hate seeing you suffer when I don't feel the same pressure you do, especially when there's nothing I can do to help."

Randall slowly leaned into Hershel's side, breathing softly with his eyes closed. Hershel let his arm trail down until he'd grasped Randall's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Heh." Randall leaned further into him, wrapping both arms around Hershel's waist, "Maybe there's one thing you can do to cheer me up..."

Hershel made sure the door was closed before kissing the top of Randall's head, "Wouldn't this be even more stifling?"

"You would think, wouldn't you?" Randall rested his head on Hershel's shoulder, "But it's odd. I don't feel constricted this way, I feel comforted."

Hershel kept his arms loosely holding Randall in place, letting them fall into a comfortable silence. The rain continued to fall, creating a soft backdrop to the cramped office and making them forget for just a few minutes why they were stuck here.

Randall squeezed Hershel's torso a little tighter, "I want to go outside."

"I know you do." Hershel stroked his head, "How about we go on a huge trip after we get the green light from Desmond?"

Randall weakly nodded, "Yeah. That sounds nice. I'd give anything to see Lucille again."

Hershel silently agreed. He was already thinking about how they would prepare for such a trip. A trip long enough that it would need suitcases full of food and clean clothes and...

"Hershel?"

"Hm?"

Randall didn't lift his head, "Can we just...stay like this for awhile? Please?"

Hershel closed his eyes, resting his cheek on Randall's head, "Of course. Take your time."

***


End file.
